The Case of the Unsummoned Egg - Ron on team

[Amy Z]

No: HPFGUIDX 25895

Gwen wrote:

> b. even if he'd managed to whisper the spell and not be overheard 
(by Filch
> OR Mrs. Norris), the sight of a piece of parchment spontaneously 
blowing up
> from the floor, past a tapestry, and once past the tapestry, out of 
sight
> altogether would have given him away as surely as looking at the map 
itself;
> and 
> c. it's just possible he doesn't have his wand with him. This may 
not be
> true, since we learn in QttA that wizards generally keep their wands 
with
> them at all times, and he might have wanted it to wipe the map just 
in case,
> but really, he didn't expect to need his wand.

I don't think the Map fell past the tapestry.  The Egg did, but the 
Map stopped six steps below Harry, and Filch and the tapestry are 
clearly quite a bit farther down, as is clear when Filch starts 
climbing the stairs.

Harry does have his wand with him; he tries to reach the Map with it 
to erase it (another indication that it is not on the other side of a 
tapestry).  When he can't reach it, the obvious thing to do is to 
Summon it.  But I think there is a very simple explanation:  he is 
rattled (yes, even clear-head-in-a-crisis Harry gets rattled) and the 
spell is quite new to him, not yet second nature like many others.

The more we discuss this, the more I like it that Jo doesn't attempt 
to explain it.  Not every motive needs explaining; we know Harry, we 
know human nature, and we can fill in reasons for ourselves.

I heartily second Gwen's thoughts on accepting JKR's flaws (I too am 
more obsessed with HP than I have ever been with a book, even though 
they are not, IMO, the *best* books I've ever read), and also think 
she has the answer to why Draco stuck with CoMC.

Re: possibility that Ron doesn't play for the G. Quidditch team (or 
even try out) because he can't afford it, Steve wrote:

>So why haven't we heard about it in Ron's case? Think about it. Do 
> you think my kids blather on to anyone who'd listen that they don't 
> have six pairs of the coolest jeans in various shades of blue? No 
> way. They just don't talk about it. They understand and they accept 
> and they just don't talk about it. I'm sure my daughter discusses it 
> with her best friend, of course, and we do hear Ron do that 
> occasionally too, but more often than not, they just don't talk 
about 
> it.

And I bet your daughter might not discuss it even with her best friend 
if that friend had been *given* two top-of-the-line brooms despite 
having enough money to buy at least the first one herself.  (LOON 
acknowledgement:  we don't know for sure that Harry is given the 
Nimbus gratis.  He might've paid for it.  But the point still stands 
that he has all the broomstick money he needs.)

Amy Z
who thinks if people were paid according to the worth of their work, 
Steve would be a millionaire

-------------------------------------------------------
  "Having a good holiday, Dudley?" he said kindly.
  Dudley whimpered.  Harry saw his hands tighten still 
 harder over his massive backside.
                           -HP and the Goblet of Fire
-------------------------------------------------------